*** Welcome to piglix ***

Cape Coast, Ghana

Cape Coast, Oguaa
City of Cape Coast
City
1st Top-Left image; Arch bridge and Harbour view from Elmina Castle in Cape Coast • 2nd Bottom-Left image; City hall of Cape Coast • 1st Top-Right image; Shores of Cape Coast • 2nd Bottom-Right image; Balcony of Cape Coast Castle.
1st Top-Left image; Arch bridge and Harbour view from Elmina Castle in Cape Coast • 2nd Bottom-Left image; City hall of Cape Coast • 1st Top-Right image; Shores of Cape Coast • 2nd Bottom-Right image; Balcony of Cape Coast Castle.
Official logo of Cape Coast, Oguaa
Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly logo
Cape Coast, Oguaa is located in Ghana
Cape Coast, Oguaa
Cape Coast, Oguaa
Location of Cape Coast in Central Region, Ghana.
Coordinates: 05°06′00″N 01°15′00″W / 5.10000°N 1.25000°W / 5.10000; -1.25000
Country  Ghana
Admin. Region Central Region
District Cape Coast Metropolitan
Founded 1482
Elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Population (2012)
 • Total 169,894
 • Demonym Cape Coaster
Time zone GMT
 • Summer (DST) GMT (UTC)

Cape Coast, or Cabo Corso, is a city and fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of south Ghana. Cape Coast is situated on its south to the Gulf of Guinea. Cape Coast had a settlement population of 169,894 people (2010 census). From the 16th century until Ghanaian independence, the city and fishing port changed hands between the British, the Portuguese, the Swedish, the Danish and the Dutch.

Cape Coast was founded by the people of Oguaa. The Portuguese built a trading fort in the area. In 1610 the Swedes built a lodge that would later become the better known Cape Coast Castle now a World Heritage Site. Most of the modern town expanded around it. The Dutch took it over in 1650, and expanded it in 1652. It was then captured by the British in 1664. Trade was an important motivator in the creation of fortresses and settlements on Cape Coast. Traders from various European countries built these trading lodges, forts and castles along the coast of modern Ghana. Unfortunately, the acquisition of gold, slaves, honey, and the many other African goods that consisted the African leg of the Triangular Trade was increasingly detrimental to the inhabitants of Cape Coast. In 1874, the British dominated all European presence along the coast of modern-day Ghana using Cape Coast as their base of operations, Gold Coast. With the establishment of formal colonial administration, they relocated to Accra following opposition to the "window tax" in 1877. Accra became their state. Cape Coast Castle was also where most of the slaves were held before their journey on the Middle Passage.

The area is dominated by batholith rock and is generally undulating with steep slopes. There are valleys of various streams between the hills, with Kakum being the largest stream.


...
Wikipedia

...